A visit to any High Street bookmaker will quickly confirm the need for a cap - in view of the huge differential between investments into the 20 clubs.

Chelsea are 13/8 to win the Premiership; Blackpool are 10,000/1! Six clubs are less than 40/1; seven are between 100 and 500/1 - and seven are from 1,000 to 10,000/1.

Essentially therefore, the Premiership is made up of three leagues.

This is a recipe for failure and no other sport (played on a pitch) has such a serious and obvious flaw - where only 25% of the teams competing have any chance of winning the league. All, but one, are foreign owned.

Talking about uneven playing fields...

Unless drastic and rapid action takes place, the already diminishing supporters will go elsewhere.

Chelsea are 13/8 to win the Premiership; Blackpool are 10,000/1

This is clearly farcical and a manifestation of the English game's inept management and lack of vision. No doubt, the game is heading for disaster - as the prime beneficiaries (the top 5/6 clubs) hold too much sway.

Also, SKY continues to call a lot of the shots.

Mags wrote:
the prime beneficiaries (the top 5/6 clubs) hold too much sway. SKY continues to call a lot of the shots

Yes, the beautiful game is on a downward spiral in the UK (the Scottsh Premier's third favourite is 66/1).

Greed will accelerate the demise - as will foreign ownership, here solely for profit.

Other countries foresaw the dangers of Sky, outside investment and meaningless controls; the UK did not and it will not be long before a European League is mooted as the only option for survival.

Mags wrote:
[quote]Chelsea are 13/8 to win the Premiership; Blackpool are 10,000/1

This is clearly farcical


I'd say it was entirely realistic !

[/quote]I'd say it was entirely realistic ![/quote]

Thus, a race between Shergar and Dobbin ( my milkman's horse) would be worth watching?

Tel wrote:
it will not be long before a European League is mooted

Only six Premiership teams (with odds less than 100/1) have any chance of winning the league; the only teams capable of beating them are in Spain, Italy, Germany etc.

A European league is inevitable; the clubs even have their own TV stations set up with merchandising outlets throughout Europe. This does not augur well for the domestic leagues which will have lost its better players - and continue to do so.

Bill wrote:
I'd say it was entirely realistic ![/quote]

Thus, a race between Shergar and Dobbin ( my milkman's horse) would be worth watching?

[/quote]

I didn't say it would be worth watching ... what I was inferring is that given the huge gap between the "runners" and the "non-runners" - it's more than possible that a runner will win ! LOL !

A European league is inevitable; the clubs even have their own TV stations set up with merchandising outlets throughout Europe

Yes, with the now imminent foreign take-over of Blackburn, 50% of Premiership teams will be owned from abroad; 6 of these 10 teams are among the top 10 favorites.

And now supporters complain about the Glaziers and Gillette/Hicks; these guys' plans were obvious (financial gain) - and the time for objection is well past.

The English 'Group' trying to take over Manchester United are wasting their time. Well within their rights, the Glazier family will sell at their price - when income has been maximised (from merchandising, MUTV, tours and the enhancement of the brand name). The idea of giving this c£1B club 'back to the supporters' smacks of stupidity.

Manchester United is a private company and impossible to acquire without the goodwill of the owners. Net income is sufficient to cover outgoings and interest and the owners of this club (and others) benefited from the outdated rules and regulations of the football authorities - who now, too late, are furiously trying to update them.(With vast amounts of cash coming from somewhat obscure sources, would any reasonable person not have seen the need for a 'fit and proper person' ruling? The FA didn't - an error which will alter English football for generations and the most serious in the almost 150 year history of the English game).

The recent awful selection of England managers pales into insignificance compared to the FA's falure and inability to control club ownership and investment.